Sept. 2, 2004 – Those who wish to compete in what’s being billed as the first global contest for nano-based business ideas have until Sept. 27 to enter.

The International Nanotechnology Business Idea Competition, whose deadline was extended from Sept. 1 to give researchers additional time to enter, will award cash prizes of $50,000, $15,000 and $10,000 to the best ideas.

The three winners will receive help writing a business plan, and Scott Rickert, Nanofilm LLC’s chief executive, will join the advisory board of the team taking the top prize. Each of the 25 finalists will be invited to present their idea to a panel of judges at NANO Week,  which begins Oct. 25 in Cleveland.

Winners will be announced Oct. 29. The entry fee is $100 per team, but there is no limit to the number of submissions a team may enter. Competition organizers are Purdue University, Case Western Reserve University and the Nano-Network, a group of scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers to boost nano research and commercialization.